Goodbye Regis Philbin, Hello Kelly Ripa's New Sidekick

Yesterday was Regis Philbin's last day with Live with Regis and Kelly. It was very sad day, but the show did a wonderful job of revealing the best moments he had on the show throughout the past few decades.

It made really think though, after Kathy Lee Gifford left (Live with Regis and Kathy Lee) in 2000, Kelly Ripa became Regis' co-host, but were they really co-hosts or sidekicks? When I think back on the show, at times it seemed as though Kelly truly was just a sidekick (a very entertaining and involved one though). But then again, they played equal roles.

I find these questions to be interesting while they begin the search for a new co-host [sidekick] for Kelly. What do you think? Were Kelly a sidekick in a way? And who do you think the new "Regis" should be?